tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post1602675435199267026..comments2015-07-30T01:07:44.236+02:00Comments on Antipodes: Darwin DayWilliam Skyvingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10052367756561555096noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-73473961619517073792009-02-14T12:12:00.000+01:002009-02-14T12:12:00.000+01:00Paul: I've just come upon a splendid web page from...Paul: I've just come upon a splendid <A HREF="http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_11680500" REL="nofollow">web page</A> from the Religion News Service of <B><I>The Salt Lake Tribune</I></B> that tackles the question of Lincoln's religious beliefs. In the context of Darwin Day, the page contains several links to delightful specimens of Mormon bullshit. As a cherry on the birthday cake, there's even a short article about a female Muslim pharmacist in Utah who asks rhetorically: <I>"If only the fittest survive, why are apes still here?"</I> My God, that's a weird and disturbing question. I hope the lady finds a firm answer as rapidly as possible, otherwise she might be capable of lobbying for a shotgun jihad against apes, just to demonstrate unequivocally that they're truly not as fit for survival as she is.William Skyvingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10052367756561555096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-90327399418295409402009-02-13T22:23:00.000+01:002009-02-13T22:23:00.000+01:00I'm dismayed to find that the majority of US artic...I'm dismayed to find that the majority of US articles about Darwin Day are polluted by extraneous allusions to religion. On the one hand, there are the vast hordes of totally dumb Americans who believe that Genesis provides us with a literal description of the creation of the universe. For these idiots, there is no hope of any kind of rational dialogue. They are like children who still believe in fairies. On the other hand, there are many apparently intelligent folk who persist in imagining that, in one way or another, Darwinian evolution and belief in religion can be construed to coexist. In the videos linked to my blog post, <B>Richard Dawkins</B> makes it perfectly clear that this is an illusion. Anybody who has succeeded in grasping totally the principles of evolution is obliged to abandon religion. An adept of Darwinian biology has no other choice than to become an atheist. There is no longer any middle ground. When we move onto the territory of the famous "selfish gene" described by Dawkins, the situation is even more absolute. There is no longer any case for the profound existence of a human "self". But that's an infinitely more subtle story.<BR/><BR/>In ecclesiastical terms, it might be said, whimsically, that mastering the principles of Darwin is akin to having done enough training to become a priest. Acceding to a mastery of the genetic principles of Dawkins is like becoming an archbishop. Then, still higher, the total world-view of a scientist who strives to comprehend quantum theory, at the level of <B>David Deutsch</B>, resembles the absolute purity of a monk...<BR/><BR/>I've resorted momentarily to these Christian yardsticks for a real but crazy reason. It would be great if we were able to discard our archaic dictionaries and declare that, from now on, the term "religion" designates the thinking that I've just outlined.William Skyvingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10052367756561555096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-80103706022846152522009-02-13T20:23:00.000+01:002009-02-13T20:23:00.000+01:00I note with interest that Darwin shared his date o...I note with interest that Darwin shared his date of birth with Abraham Lincoln.<BR/><BR/>Evolution eh?Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17607706475235226890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-33507397952202693492009-02-12T20:15:00.000+01:002009-02-12T20:15:00.000+01:00Thank you for your Darwin Day post. Last night we ...Thank you for your Darwin Day post. Last night we sat at our kitchen table, here in Lilyfield, and toasted the anniversary of his birth.<BR/><BR/>Next month we hope to attend a two-day symposium at the National Maritime Museum. In the meantime, my partner has been waiting patiently to have cataracts removed before embarking on my Christmas present (yes, sadly, we do celebrate with presents and merry-making but with no religious connotations), Charles Darwin on the Origin of Species: The illustrated edition, edited by David Quammen and published by Sterling. As well as its content, it is one of the most beautiful books I've ever seen.<BR/><BR/>(Previous comment deleted as I used the wrong ID and didn't realise it would still show up on your post as a deleted comment, sorry.)Anniehttp://www.theboatingbible.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-37698359367611737902009-02-12T20:12:00.000+01:002009-02-12T20:12:00.000+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10806660109196835114noreply@blogger.com